Chief Petty Officer Simon Greenwood has come to the end of his final sea posting after 36 years in Navy.
He will step off HMAS Sydney in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after nearly two years as the hull technical manager on board.
This follows a long career as a marine technician dedicated to life at sea, fixing all manner of systems from sewage systems to potable water plants.
Chief Petty Officer Greenwood grew up in Dalby, Queensland, but has called Sydney home for most of his time ashore since joining Navy as a marine technician in 1990.
He estimates he has spent 21 years at sea, commencing on HMAS Success and followed by HMA Ships Darwin, Melbourne, Newcastle, Hobart and finally Sydney.
Chief Petty Officer Greenwood spent nine years in Melbourne where his rank and responsibility grew as he was promoted from able seaman to petty officer in rank and responsibility during eight years in Newcastle.
On promotion to chief petty officer, he went to the Navy Safety Bureau for two years before joining the destroyer project in Adelaide in 2016 to assist with building Australia’s Hobart-class destroyers.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed spending a whole day examining the ancient architecture as I am keen on ancient history.’
Chief Petty Officer Greenwood was a key member of the HMAS Hobart commissioning crew. His expertise in destroyer construction and commissioning has enabled him to provide exceptional technical advice throughout his postings to Hobart and Sydney.
Throughout his career, he has deployed on numerous operations, including Operations Warden, Trek, Relex II, Catalyst, Resolute, Quickstep, Slipper, Saville and Argos.
Reflecting on his time in Navy, Chief Petty Officer Greenwood recalled one of his most memorable days.
“In 2013, while serving on HMAS Newcastle, we were in Akaba, Jordan, for a port visit during a gulf deployment, and the ship funded a cultural excursion to the ancient city of Petra,” he said.
“I thoroughly enjoyed spending a whole day examining the ancient architecture as I am keen on ancient history.
“I had been to Egypt in Darwin in 1992, where we visited Cairo for three days and went inside the Great Pyramid.”
Chief Petty Officer Greenwood also fondly remembers cross-deck exercises to English ship HMS Birmingham and the French corvette De Troyes.
“Mostly it’s been a lot of fun,” he said.
Chief Petty Officer Greenwood is looking forward to long service leave before considering some part-time work as a reservist.
